Herefore, various types of coin or token hoppers have been known and utilized in the changer and dispensing art. A common type is that known as an indirect payout hopper in which coins are loaded into a hold or escrow position from which they are subsequently dispensed when the validity of tendered currency is determined. In such systems, a belt is often used to transport coins from a bulk chamber to a chute or channel in which they are maintained until a payout is requested. In these systems, two steps for any payout are required, the first being the loading of the chute or channel and the second being the actual vending of the coins. Also slowing down the changing process is the fact that the chutes or channels have typically been too small to maintain sufficient coins for changing larger denominations of currency.
Known direct payout hoppers have often incorporated a large rotating disc having protrusions thereon which engage coins and carry them past a stripper where coins are separated from each other and subsequently dispensed by gravity. Such prior systems require repetitive servicing to assure proper operation. Other proposed systems include rotating discs having passages therethrough which pass into and out of alignment for the passage of coins. Many such systems require that the coin receiving discs at the bottom of the hopper be inclined to facilitate feeding of the coins to the discs. Such not only increases the cost of such systems, but reduces the effective size of the hopper by angling the bottom thereof.
Other direct payout hoppers utilizing one or more pairs of rotating discs with or without coin-receiving receptacles therein have been known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,814,296, 4,398,550, 4,466,453, and 4,441,515, as well as European Patent 204,405 teach such structures and techniques. However, such prior art structures have been rather complex in nature and given to varying degrees of unreliability in service and operation.
In light of the foregoing, there has been recognized a need for a direct payout hopper which is rapid and reliable in operation. Such a hopper needs to accommodate the changing of large bills in short time cycles such as by dispensing coins directly from a bulk hopper without having to transport the coins to escrow or a hold position first. Accordingly, the only limitation for the number of coins to be dispensed in a single dispensing operation would be the volume of the hopper itself. In light of prior art structures which have sought these advantages, it has also been recognized that there is a need for a system in which coins being transferred from one receptacle to another evidence a significant dwell time of the two receptacles so that the transfer may be reliably made.